According to Bent's Rule, where will the lone pairs and highly electronegative fluorine atoms position themselves in a trigonal bipyramidal () geometry like ?

Question

According to Bent's Rule, where will the lone pairs and highly electronegative fluorine atoms position themselves in a trigonal bipyramidal ($sp^3d$) geometry like $PCl_3F_2$?

Prashant Kotian · Accepted Answer

Correct answer: C. Bent's Rule states that more electronegative atoms (like F) prefer orbitals with less s-character (axial positions, ). Lone pairs demand more space and prefer orbitals with more s-character (equatorial positions, ).

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